In what was a genuine highlight of 2022 for me to have former European 400 meters champion and the best broadcaster in Irish Athletics, David Gillick, come over to the tortoise shack. We discuss he career as an elite athlete, how he struggled to transition to a post-running life, his mental health struggles and the love he has for his […]
Please join us in 2023 and help keep the mic on at patreon.com/toroiseshack In this very special podcast, Martin chats to his Da about being a city farmer in the 40s and 50s in Drumcondra. They talk about floods, cows, what a ’tilly’ of milk is and driving cows 9 miles from the Ward in North County Dublin to Smithfield. […]
The new Survey on Income and Living Conditions is out and the data is very revealing. Rejoining us to dive into the data is Economist with NERI, Ciarán Nugent. We discuss the deprivation levels that are rising while the economy is booming, the staggering growth (up 60% in one year) of working poor and the very real impact on mental […]
Rejoining us on the tortoise shack is Spanish-based journalist, Eoghan Gilmartin. The last time we spoke with Eoghan, he’d covered the massacre at Melilia and he gives us an update on this as well as his take on the Spanish cost of living crisis and why they are the least impacted country by inflation in the EU. Another great chat. […]
We’ve seen or heard about the most egregious things occurring under China’s Zero Covid policy, and while we have moved on to a Hope-For-The-Best policy, their lockdowns have brought many out on to the streets to protest. One person who attended one of these protests in Shanghai, is Sligo man, Mickey. (I think the fact that we can’t use his […]
Once again we are looking for your help in the run up to Christmas. This Wednesday, having skipped the pre-legislative scrutiny stage, the government will rush through a bill that will entirely change the appointments process for An Bord Pleanála Board members for the worse, and very seriously compromise the independence of the State’s top planning body. The Minister is […]
I watched the wonderful new film North Circular and was left with the sense that we’ve never had such a love letter written to the darkness that envelopes the road that runs through the spine of Dublin. Joining me to talk about it is the films maker, Luke McManus. We discuss the themes of holding firm to ghosts of the […]
Last week the UK’s Supreme Court dealt a blow to those who are seeking Scottish independence. Our guest today, Prof Richard Murphy, outlines the judgement and why it’s not quite the end of the road. We also discuss the UK property market correction/crash, consumer spending deflation, Empires in decline and how car finance is a bellwether for the publics financial […]